Valve.



J. S. WHITINGQ VALVE. APPLICATION FILED sum: 21. 1913.

1 ML28 Patented May 25, 1915.

2 SHEETSSHEET I.

wih teooeo R M Gum,

J. S. WHlTlNG.

VALVE.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 21. 1913.

Patented May 25, 1915.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

wunzooeo WM 61%, @M/

THE NORRIS PETERS Covv PHUTO'LITHO. wAsHINGroN, u r

JOSEPH S. WHITING, 0F YONKERS, NEW YORK.

VALVE.

Application filed June 21, 1913.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOSEPH S. WHITING, acitizen of the United States, residing at Yonkers, in the county of VVestchester and State of New York, have invented new and useful Improvements in Valves, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to fire escapes; and has for an object to provide a device of this character which will be comparatively simple in construction and inexpensive, and which will include an endless carrier and means for positively controlling the speed of descent of the carrier to correspond with the weight of the person applied thereto.

With this and other objects in view, the invention consists of certain novel features of construction, combination and arrangement of parts, as will be hereinafter described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings :Figure 1 is a front elevation of the preferred embodiment of the invention; Fig. 2 is a side elevation thereof, showing a portion of the same in longitudinal section; Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional view, taken on the line 33 of Fig. 1; Fig. 4 is a transverse vertical sectional view through the valve chest; Fig. 5 is a vertical sectional View, taken on the line 55 of Fig. 4; Fig. 6 is a perspective view of the body belt; Fig. 7 is a detail sectional view through the same; Fig. 8 is a front elevation of a modified form of the device; and Fig. 9 is a transverse sectional view through a portion of the same.

The apparatus comprises a supporting bracket 1 from which a horizontally disposed supporting shaft 2 extends. This shaft is preferably square in transverse section as shown in Fig. 1, being fitted in a correspondingly formed passage 3 in the upper end of a member 1.

The bracket 1 of the apparatus may be mounted eXteriorly upon a building and disposed in such proximity to a window that one may readily gain access to the carrier of the apparatus when desired. The member 1 is provided with companion cylinders 5 and 6 in which pistons 7 are mounted to reciprocate, the piston in the cylinder 5 being designed to reciprocate in an opposite direction to the companion piston in the cylinder 6 with a resultant uniform transmissionof speed to the carrier shaft of the apparatus. The cylinders are open at their lower ends while at the upper ends the cylinders are Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 25, 1915. Serial N 0. 775,070.

provided with port openings 8 which are connected by branch pipes 9 with a valve chest 10. The member 4 has a sheave support 11 which is disposed below the plane of the cylinders 5 and 6 and in which a carrier controlling shaft 12 is revolubly mounted. This shaft is provided with a sheave 13 which is disposed between the arms 14 of said support 11. The controlling shaft 12 is provided with crank arms 15 which are operatively connected with the lower ends of the piston rods 16 whereby continuous motion will be imparted to the pistons on rotation of said shaft.

The sheave 13 is provided with a peripheral groove 16 for the reception of a carrier chain 17, the walls of the groove 16 being associated relatively whereby to present such frictional engagement with the links of the chain 17 as to positively prevent the slipping of the latter around the sheave. A body embracing belt 18 is designed to engage the body of the person who may desire to escape by way of the hereinbefore described apparatus. This belt preferably comprises an inner chain 19, an outer cushioning covering 20 therefor, and an attaching device 21 having hooks 22 which are designed to engage in any one of the links of the chain whereby the whole weight of the person will be applied in such manner to one of the leads of the chain as will be required to effect rotation of the shaft 12 and reciprocation of the pistons.

lVith a view to controlling the speed of descent of the person I provide the valve chest 10 with a port opening 23, and a sliding valve 24. The valve is located within the chest and as shown it is provided with a port opening 25 which may wholly or partly register with the port opening 23 so as to permit such portion of air to be drawn into the cylinders as to influence the speed of descent of the person. The chest 10 is provided with an elongated slot 26 through which extends a pointer 27. The pointer is carried by the valve plate and is adapted to co-act with weight graduations 28 upon the valve chest at one side of the slot 26. A spring 29 interiorly of the valve chest bears against the valve plate 24 so as to yieldingly hold the same against that wall of the chest in which the port way 23 and the slot 26 are formed. The valve late has a controlling stem 29 swiveled thereto, and as shown the stem is threadedlv adjustable the bottom of the valve chest.,while.

below the bottom the stemis equipped with a suitable actuating wheel 30 which may be controlled manually when it is desired to adjust the valve to regulate the speed of rotation of the shaft 12 as to the weight descending upon the carrier 17.

In Figs. 8 and 9 I have shown a modified form of the invention, wherein the member 4: has attached thereto a carrier truck 31, whose interiorly disposed wheels 32 are mounted on the lowerside flanges 33 of a horizontally-disposed I-beam 34:, which latter is mounted upon the front of a building and extends past all of the windows in one of its stories, preferably. The trackway formed by the I-beam 3% provides means for moving the fire escape to suitable points in front of the building, so that persons may descend thereby from windows of different rooms. In case it provesdesirable a trackway of this description may extend past the front of a row of buildings whose windows in each story are disposed at practically the same level.

' I claim In a device of the character described in combination, a pair of air cylinders, a valve chest, means for supporting cylinders and Valve chest, said valve chest being substantially oblong in contour, said valve chest be- Gopies of this patent may be obtained for with ports adapted in one position of said valve to be closed by the slotted wall of said chest and in another position of said valve to register with said air ports, said valve being disposed between said slotted walls and bearing frictionally against said partition, a flatspring secured at one end to the wall opposite said slotted wall and pressing said valve against said slotted wall at all points of its movement, and'means for reciprocating said valve operable from the outside of said chest, pipe connections from the upper air ported end of said chest to said cylinders, said slotted wall having graduations marked opposite said slot and a pointer on said valve projecting through said slot. 7

In testimony whereof I afiiX my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JOSEPH S. WHITING.

Witnesses:

CHRISTINE E. MITCHELL, DOROTHY MITCHELL.

five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. 0. 

